Notes and Essays -- John Brown

  The popularity of drones, and the defense minister who heavily promoted them, helped lead to a clash in which President Volodymyr Zelensky sided with the military brass. Mykhailo Fedorov, the former minister of defense for Ukraine, speaking Thursday in Kyiv. Mr. Fedorov’s growing reliance on drones had reportedly irked some members of the military’s leadership.  Jędrzej Nowicki for The New York Times By Andrew E. Kramer/ Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine The New York Times July 17, 2026 In his zealous efforts to popularize drone warfare, Ukraine’s young defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, also gained widespread popularity himself. And that, political analysts and opposition politicians said, may have helped bring about his downfall this week, as President Volodymyr Zelensky sided against him in a titanic clash with the country’s top military commander. Mr. Zelensky’s dismissal of Mr. Fedorov, 35, sidelined a potential political rival who had seized the spotlight. The timing of h...

Ukraine’s president sparked protests with his surprise dismissal of a popular defense minister By James Marson July 19, 2026 1:27 pm ET Ukrainians in Kyiv protested Saturday in support of Mykhailo Fedorov, who was ousted days earlier as the nation’s minister of defense. Sergey Dolzhenko/ EPA/ Shutterstock The Wall Street Journal July 19, 2026 1:27 pm ET original article contains links Ukrainians in Kyiv protested Saturday in support of Mykhailo Fedorov, who was ousted days earlier as the nation’s minister of defense.   Zelensky held meetings with senior military commanders for a second day Sunday, after a protest of thousands in Kyiv on Saturday had called for the ouster of Ukraine’s top general. Zelensky provoked anger among some in the military and society for his surprise decision last week to remove Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has clashed with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy over war strategy. Supporters of Fedorov, the 35-year-old advocate of Ukraine’s drone program, hail...

  Opinion Ukraine is teaching Russia a lesson. The U.S. should take notes. Ukrainian drones and rockets have punished underprotected Russian assets on Crimea. July 20, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. EDT58 minutes ago 6 min 6 Make us preferred on Google A satellite image of the Crimea Bridge, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Crimea, on June 22. (Vantor/Reuters) By Brady Africk Brady Africk is a research analyst specializing in open-source intelligence at the American Enterprise Institute. Ukraine is ratcheting up the tempo of drone strikes pummeling Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. Russia has tried to shield its most valuable military assets by hardening aircraft shelters and beefing up air-defense systems, but it has already paid a steep price. Kyiv’s drones continue to punish critical infrastructure, and the fear of losing more expensive assets has pushed Russian ships and planes farther away from the front. What will happen in the 2026 midte...

from Quora; see also The New York Times Only Truth About Russia Posted by  Anna Magdalena W.   14h 🚨 Kyiv Endures One of Its Worst Nights Yet 💥 Russia unleashed a massive overnight assault on Kyiv, firing 125 drones, 25 ballistic missiles, 10 Zircon hypersonic missiles, and six more missiles in one of the biggest attacks on the capital in months. President Volodymyr Zelensky called it one of Russia's largest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv , once again urging allies to speed up deliveries of air-defense systems capable of stopping ballistic missiles. At least 1 person was killed and 16 were injured , with several victims in serious condition. Air defenses intercepted much of the barrage, but dozens of missiles and drones still slammed into the city, setting apartment buildings, warehouses, supermarkets, and commercial sites ablaze. Residents described hours of relentless explosions. "It was the scariest night of my life," one Kyiv local said after her apartment bui...

Demonstrators supporting Ukraine’s ousted defense minister have begun denouncing the commander he clashed with in office, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi. People in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday protesting President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to oust Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had championed drone warfare. Credit... Jędrzej Nowicki for The New York Times By Andrew E. Kramer and Cassandra Vinograd Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine The New York Times July 18, 2026  Updated 4:40 p.m. ET/  article contains many links Protesters who have taken to the streets this week in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, over a shake-up in military leadership have begun to focus their anger on one man in particular: Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the army’s top commander. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022, Ukrainian protesters had not denounced the military’s senior leadership. But on Friday, thousands of people in central Kyiv openly mocked General Syrskyi. Some held derogatory signs depi...